3 Oilers with the most to prove in six-game homestand
We look at three key Oilers players who are facing the most pressure to prove their value during the six-game homestand, which begins on Wednesday night.
Things have certainly been getting better recently for the Edmonton Oilers ever since their 5-0 shutout win over the Washington Capitals, which halted a three-game losing streak. They have now followed this up with three straight wins over key opponents within their own conference, as the offence has started to kick into gear at just the right time.
This Could Be Perfect Timing For The Oilers
As if the timing wasn’t any more perfect, the Oilers can now build on their recent momentum with a six-game homestand, which begins on Wednesday night versus the Carolina Hurricanes. On the season the Oilers have a 5-4-1 winning record at home, as opposed to a more paltry 4-8-0 record on the road. So they must take full advantage of home ice, to further make up lost ground in their pursuit of the playoffs by the end of the season.
Stuart Skinner appears to be back to his steady form, but more importantly captain Connor McDavid seems to have rediscovered his dominant play, with a whopping 13 points in his past four games. In addition to both standouts, there have been many other contributors who have also picked up the pace recently.
If you add in the additional time off to repair any nagging injuries that may have come up in the early parts of the season, this is an optimal time for the team to make a move in the standings if they continue to play the way they have been of late.
However, at the same time, there have been a few players who have yet to prove their worth thus far this season for the Oilers, so it will be about time they break out during this homestand to show they can get the job done as well. As a result, we take a look at three key Oilers players who will need to come up big during this homestand, or else their respective spots on the roster could be in jeopardy in the near future.
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Calvin Pickard
Despite being called and promoted into NHL action recently as a result of Jack Campbell’s struggles, Calvin Pickard has had his own issues trying to maintain a regular gig in the NHL throughout his career. The 2010 second round pick did have one season in which he was the number one starting goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17 season, producing a 15-31-2 record, 2.98 GAA and .904 save percentage in 50 games.
Pickard followed that up with a successful stint with Team Canada at the 2017 World Hockey Championship, in which he backstopped the team to a silver medal finish. However, that has turned out to be the highest point of his career thus far, as he has bounced around between multiple teams both in the NHL and AHL ever since.
At age 31 and now currently with the prime opportunity to solidify a potential backup role with the Oilers, this is Pickard’s biggest chance to revitalize his career. His first two games with the team so far have produced some mixed results.
The Oilers will not want to run Skinner into the ground by forcing him to make 10 consecutive starts. (He has started the last four games for the team.) As a result, Pickard should get some game action during this six-game homestand. This might be his only chance to prove once again that he can still be a reliable NHL goalie.
Connor Brown
It has certainly been quite a tumultuous past couple of seasons for the once-promising Connor Brown. After carving out a strong top-six role in his three-season tenure with the Ottawa Senators, Brown was all prepared to take his game to the next level when he was acquired by the Capitals during the 2022 offseason in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick.
With the opportunity to potentially play with superstar Alexander Ovechkin and company, Brown’s grinding game could flourish under such an environment. However, with the worst luck possible, he ended up suffering a season-ending ACL injury in just his fourth game with his new team.
The Capitals did not re-sign Brown following the season, making him a free agent. Consequently, the Oilers jumped in and offered him a one-year contract, incentive-laden contract worth $775,000, with a $3.25 million bonus activated if he were to appear in 10 or more games this season.
By bringing Brown to the Oilers, it reunited him with former Erie Otters teammate McDavid. The team hoped they could recapture the magic they produced when they were linemates back in juniors, and make them an unstoppable force for the 2023-24 NHL season.
Unfortunately, despite getting regular time in a top-six role with the Oilers, Brown has failed to live up to expectations so far with the team. In 16 games he has only one assist to show for, and is on pace for the worst points total of his entire career.
With both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl starting to dominate once again in recent games, Brown will need to take full advantage of this homestand and prove himself a reliable linemate for either player, to convince the team to keep his spot on the roster. Patience has been starting to grow thin, and he could be headed towards the end of the runway if he doesn’t turn his season around soon.
Ryan McLeod
Finally, it has also been a disappointing season thus far for Oilers’ centre Ryan McLeod. The 2018 second-round draft pick had a breakthrough campaign last season, when he put up career-bests with 11 goals and 23 total points in just 57 games. He entered this season looking to build upon his strong 2022-23, to further solidify his role as the team’s third-line centre.
However, things have certainly not gone to plan so far for McLeod in 2023-24. Almost the entire Oilers’ bottom-six have been struggling this season, as they have accounted for only 14 of the team’s 74 goals so far.
As a result, secondary scoring has practically been absent for the most part for the Oilers one quarter into the NHL season, with just a glimmer of hope surfacing in recent games. Nevertheless, the biggest dropoff had been the production of McLeod, as he was held goalless all season until he finally netted his first one in the last game, against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Oilers will need a lot more from McLeod and the bottom six in the coming games, if they are to sustain any kind of success this season. Hopefully, with the 24-year-old finally having the monkey off his back with his recent breakout game, he will prove to the Oilers he can be relied upon as a leader and steady producer to stabilize their bottom six.
Broberg given permission by Oilers to seek trade. dark. Next
As already referenced, the Oilers will pick things up again on Wednesday night, with the Hurricanes in town. This is the first game for the three players mentioned to try to make an impact. We don’t expect Pickard to start versus the Hurriances, but we would expect to see him at least once during this homestand. As for McLeod and Brown, all eyes should be on them when they hit the ice to face the Jets.